Spider's Web
by TheLastMelinian
Summary: Constantly on the run from a life he has no recollection of, people who claim to know him and people who want him dead. With no memory of your past and no certainty in your future… how does one survive on the edge? AU-fic, crossover with other characters from the Marvel-verse.
1. Prologue

**Spider's Web by TheLastMelinian**

**Summary:**

Constantly on the run from a life he has no recollection of, people who claim to know him and people who want him dead. With no memory of your past and no certainty in your future… how does one survive on the edge?

**A/N: The characters are normal people and do not possess super powers or mutations. If characters are OOC I apologise. The story is set in the same time-frame as Mirror's Edge. This is also the first fic that I've had the courage to post so please be gentle but critical. Thanks. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than this fic. Enjoy :)**

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**Fractured Dream:**

He sees them again. Faces… Faces of people that strike familiarity in him, yet, he is unable to put a name or a title to any of them. He struggles to place the man with chocolate brown hair and kind, smiling eyes. The man smiles at him. He does not smile back. He struggles to place the woman who looks at him lovingly and embraces him with such gentleness. He wants to return the embrace. In the end, his arms remain at his sides while the woman continues to hold him.

He wants to smile at the man, he wants to return the woman's affections but something stops him. Hesitation, maybe sadness, perhaps it was fear. Whatever the feeling was, he doesn't like it. It twists and curls at the base of his belly and clenches his heart painfully. As if it would be the last time he would see either of the faces again.

In a sense, he was right. The feelings of sadness and pain intensify as the faces fade from his vision. The smile is gone. The warm hold disappears too. He is alone in a black void. The tears stream down his face then. He is unsure as to why exactly.

For what seems like eternity, he stands there letting the clear droplets roll down his cheeks. Until, a chill runs down his spine and the urge to turn around strikes him. The motion of turning is painfully slow and he is certain that what he'll find behind him is something he won't like. He was right, but again, uncertainty wells as he wonders why this would upset him. In front of him are two gravestones. The earth in front of them freshly piled.

Before he can utter any anything – an exclamation, a reaction – the unbearable feelings vanish. At this point everything becomes a blur. Happiness, two new faces he feels a strong connection to, but once again he is unable to put names to faces. The pair looks different from the first: older, wiser. Kindness and warmth radiate off them in waves just like the couple before. Many good feelings wash over him and the temptation to let whatever this is play out overcomes him. The corners of his lips twitch upward, relaxing into… whatever this is.

Though, as they say, nothing lasts forever. The next moment there is fear – heart pounding, eyes widen, breath quickens – he's scared. Once again, he is unsure why. The urge to hide is greater than any thought at this moment. His body betrays him. It freezes while his mind screams for it to move – _move_ – he remains glued to his spot. A dark form looms over him menacingly, as he looks up pain explodes all over his body. The first sound he utters since the start of this is a bone-chilling scream.

"_Pe…r…"_

He lashes out fighting his attacker. The figure pins him effectively to the floor.

"… _ter…"_

He neither acknowledges nor responds to the whispery voice. He's far too focused on defending himself to notice or care.

"_Pe… ter… "_

Hands wrap around his neck. He feels a sticky substance flow from his body, blood. His wounds are tender and he feels an uncomfortable stickiness in many places. But the lack of oxygen is his most pressing problem.

"_Peter!"_

The voice gets louder as darkness licks the edges of his vision. He looks a final time at the faceless figure before his vision blackens completely and his eyes come to a close.

"_PETER!"_

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A/N: R&R~ :)


	2. Chapter 1

******Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than this fic. Enjoy :)**

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**One Crack:**

"Peter?" He jolted awake. Wide eyes hazily move to look at the face above him. A dazed and puzzled feeling overcomes him. It takes his mind a few moments to jump-start. Recognition dawns on him. Steve. It was just Steve.

"… I told you to stop calling me that, _'mum'_," He looked into the worried blue eyes of a blond-haired male who sighed in response, "it means nothing to me," he sat up and stretched his arms upwards, sighing in content when he feels the satisfying pop of his spine.

The man looked at the youth with a gaze that would rival an eagle's, "only if you stop calling me _'mum'_, Spider."

Spider stood from his makeshift bed on the floor and gave Steve a cheeky grin, "that depends, Steve, will you stop being such a mother hen? Or would you prefer being called _'Captain America'? _Maybe, _'The Star-Spangled Man'... _with a plan, I might add," He laughs at Steve whose face is scrunched in unamusement.

"I wish Tony would stop being an influence on you…" Steve moves to make them breakfast and life progressed as normal. Their daily routine is the same everyday: breakfast, shower, brush teeth (the day wouldn't be complete without the friendly battle for the bathroom mirror), getting dressed then going out to their respective roles. Steve goes to train new couriers – runners. Spider goes to run and jump across New York City's skyline. Today seemed different though, it somehow felt more… foreboding, despite the fact that it was a nice day. Clear blue skies, not a cloud to be seen. The sun beaming warm rays of light upon the Earth along with a light cool breeze to counteract the heat. Overall, it was a nice day.

_'So why do I feel like something bad is going to happen?'_

He's brought back by Steve calling to him, "Spider?"

"Huh?"

"I've said your name five times, what's wrong?"

"… Nothing," Steve wants pry but doesn't, the last thing they want – or need – on such a nice day is a brawl. Instead of delving into the mystery that is 'Spider' he replies, "… Alright, have a good day gallivanting around the city and for the love of all things good in this world _please_ try not to track dirt onto my floors… again," Steve waved over his shoulder and locked the door behind him. It's not like Spider ever used the door anyway.

He made his way over to the window near the sitting room situated near a fire escape. Climbing over the sill, he dashes up the stairs to the roof. The chipping black-painted metal groans with every step but it is paid no thought. Spider reached the top in record time. He glanced around and assessed the quickest route to Tony Stark's 'home away from home'. A grin plasters itself onto his face as he comes to a stop. Spider ran at full speed to the ledge in front of him. Time seemed to slow when he takes the leap of faith over the ledge. The canyon-like gap between the buildings gapes open like the maw of a mighty beast. Spider barely landed on the ledge with one foot. With practiced grace he managed to maneuver his body so that both his feet were firmly planted.

Arms stretched outward to balance himself as he walks idly – uncaring – along the edge until he reached a far corner of the roof's ledge. His pace increased until he was running as fast as he could towards a taller building. He leaped off at the last minute and slammed and held tightly onto the vertical piping running up and down, left and right along the wall. Spider was winded for a second before he started climbing up the pipes of the office building.

Upon reaching the top, everything merges together like some drunkards mental collage. A series of sharp turns, slides and jumps lead him to taller buildings. Climbs, side crawls and zip-lining take him to lower buildings. His destination is somewhere underground, abandoned by people except for the drunks and druggies who take no notice of kids going to this secret location. They're either to drunk, too stoned or just not interested. Period.

Spider made his descent into an alleyway before joining one of the main streets that lead to out of time. He'd continue his adventures on the roof but has a few things to do before he gets to home base. It's a long walk to the ghettos lying close to the reservoir, plenty of time to pick some pockets. He's never told Steve about his… habit of snagging the leather beauties and taking some cash before depositing it back in the poor soul's trouser or jacket pockets. Steve would kill him; because Steve is Captain – freaking – America. He's patriotic, always ready to help and _always_ manages to see the good in people, even when there isn't actually any good to see.

Sometimes it annoyed Spider, _'because there is _no way _someone can be that benevolent – it's like he's devoid of any form of hate!'_ Other times he's just thankful that Steve was the one who picked him up and not some sleazy paedophile wanting to take advantage of a kid who can't even remember what day of the week it is.

Everytime he walked down this street in particular (mainly because the large sheep-like crowds are the easiest to target, people are always quick to assume that it's the person boisterously shoving, rather than the kid who's trying to avoid all possible contact) he gets the feeling of déjà vu. It's not totally unpleasant but it often leaves him feeling hollow, empty. Spider shook the thoughts out of his head and continued on his way casually, no more pick-pocketing for the week, he's got enough lunch money to grab a snack or some gadget he'd rather Tony not replicate.

Spider prides himself on being able to avoid unwanted attention but sometimes he can't avoid the stares of a few students who walked to get to the school about twenty blocks behind him. It's always the same students and everytime they gave him the same look – it's a sad look.

_'I wonder if Peter would look like him now…'_

Twenty minutes later, he reaches the ghetto. It's a deadly place, especially for Spider who's the perfect target for perverts and dealers. Tony once joked that he should start carrying mace with him after he was approached three times in one week by some hoodlums aiming to exploit him because of his unusually small size and physique ('_and his cherubic face' – Steve smacked Tony for that one_). Steve, of course, thought this was actually an excellent idea, so now out of habit (and much drilling and lecturing from Steve when he forgets them) he carries several pocket sized cans of mace in his pockets and thigh pouch.

Spider rushed through the danger zone quickly towards an unused canal he knows runs towards the Brooklyn bridge. He slid down onto the canal's ledge and walked a little before reaching a lone pipe where water used to flow from. He crawled into the dry cavern, feeling along the walls as the light slowly diminished. He continued like this until he had the 'Alice' moment where he falls – presumably – into _'Wonderland'_ (Steve and his obsession with Disney). Only, there's no floating furniture or musical instruments or little cupcakes. His fall is not slow or idle. It's a steep slide down into a lab. He'll never get used to it, it's been seven years and he still hasn't gotten used to it, but Tony's considerate enough to put this unbelievably soft water bed to cushion his fall.

"Hello, Spidey~! Your mission, should you choose to accept…"

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**A/N: :)**


End file.
